Lack of Integrating Technology in Elementary School

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Lack of integrating technology in elementary schools

It has been the goal of educators to integrate technology in all levels of learning. Educators believe that if this goal is properly implemented and supported, it may bring about a positive experience for both teachers and students (Ertmer & Leftwich, 2009; Simon, 2002). In their research, Cradler and Bridgforth (2005) concluded that technology applications can support higher-order thinking by engaging students in authentic, complex tasks within collaborative learning contexts. On average, students who used computer-based instruction scored at 64th percentile on tests of achievement compared to students in the control conditions without computers who scored in the 50th percentile (Motamedi, 2010). Beside the classroom benefits, it is also clear that as the society moves further to 21st century, human beings are increasingly becoming more dependent on technology. Despite these realities, research shows that it is only relatively few teachers who feel well prepared to integrate education technology into classroom instruction (Ertmer & Leftwich, 2009; Franklin, 2011; NCES 2010,). According to NCES (2010), despite teachers having access to computers and internet, the teachers used technology only in 40 percent or sometimes 29 percent of their instruction time. The NCES further reports that only less than half of the U.S. elementary teachers felt comfortable to use technology for classroom instruction.

The Background of the Instruction Problem

Several literatures have explored the reason why integrating technology in the elementary schools is still a problem for the teachers. Earle (2003) first of all explores what the concept of instruction technology means. Some of the problem...

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...: NCES.

Simon, G. (2002). Technology and pedagogy: Why don’t we see the promised revolution? Educational Technology, 42: 71-75.

Swan, R., & Dixon, J. (2006). The effects of mentor-supported technology professional development on middle school mathematics teachers’ attitudes and practices. Contemporary issues in technology and teacher education, 6(1).

Walker, L.R., (2011). Phenomenological investigation of Elementary School Teachers who successfully Integrated Instructional Technology into the Curriculum. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 1(1), 23-35.

Zhao, Y., & Bryant, F.L. (2006). Can teacher technology integration training alone lead to high levels of technology integration? A qualitative look at teacher’s technology integration after state mandated technology training. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education, 5: 53-62.

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